Boat launching apparatus



March 25, 1952 c. A. LINSMEIIER 2,590,715

BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 INVENTOR.

K7 glam! )fmcL A TTORNEYS March 25, 1952 c. A. LINSMEIER 2,590,715

BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17, 1947' 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z Patented Mar. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS Charles A. Linsmeier, Two Rivers, Wis.

Application October 17, 1947, Serial No. 780,489

3 Claims. 1

The invention relates to life boat launching apparatus.

Usually lifeboats are launched from a pair of davits and tackle by which the boat is launched lengthwise of the ship and this method has been found to be very objectionable because under launching conditions the boats are thrown against the side of the ship and crushed. It has been proposed to remedy this difficulty by providing launching apparatus by which the loaded boat is lowered at right angles to the side of the ship so that when lowered the boat is in a position to immediately get away from the ship, and the present invention relates to an improved apparatus for effecting this methodof launching. According to the present invention the boat to be launched is suspended from a swingable crane by separate hoist cables mounted on the crane and connected to opposite ends of the boat with hoist mechanmism mounted on the crane for controlling said cables either by hand or by power, and the mechanism for swinging the crane is also operable by hand or by power.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter described and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ship havin apparatus embodying the invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the launching apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the launching apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a rear end view of the launching apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a detailed vertical sectional view through the hoisting and swinging mechanism of the launching apparatus;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed side elevation view of a portion of the apparatus, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 'l---'! of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 I have shown a ship S provided with launching apparatus A embodying the invention whereby theand lowering them Y 2 Referring to Figs. 2 to 4, it will-be noted that each launching apparatus comprises a crane 0 having a base 8, a column or upright 9 integral with said base, and a heavy cantilever boom or arm l0 integral with the upright 9 and of alength to carry the boat B beneath it and to project the same beyond the side of the ship.

Referring to Figs. 5- to 7, the base of the crane is provided with a base plate H having spaced annular depending flanges I2 and I3 between which at circumferentially spaced points conical rollers [4 are mounted by pins l5 carried by said flanges.

A supporting member [6 which may be secured by bolts I? to the deck N3 of the ship or be welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto is provided with an upstanding conically faced ring portion l9 on which the rollers I4 travel, a ring portion 20 concentric with the portion l9 and to which a gear 2! is fixedly secured by bolts 22 and a ring portion 23 concentric with the portions [9 and 20 and having an outwardly extending annular flange 24 whose underside is adapted to be engaged by a ring 25 bolted or otherwise secured to the outer portion of the base plate II and holding the crane in operative position on the member [6, thus providing a turntable mounting connection of the crane with the deck of the ship.

A reversible electric motor 26 is mounted on the base plate H and connected by a suitable coupling 21 with a shaft 28 journalled in a bearing bracket 29 on the frame or plate ll. Alined withthe shaft 28 and journalled in bearing brackets 30 and 3| on the plate II is a shaft 32 provided with a squared or polygonal end 33 for receiving a hand crank 34. The shaft 32 carries a bevel gear 35 meshing with a bevel gear 36 on a vertically disposed shaft3l journalled in the base for the brackets 30 and 3| and carrying a pinion or gear 38 meshing with the fixed gear 2| so that the turning of said shaft 32 either by the crank 34 or by the motor 26 will through the gears 35, 36, and 38, 2| cause the crane to turn relative to said supporing member (6 and the deck of the ship.

For controlling the power drive and the swing gearing above described, a clutch connection between the shafts 28 and 32 is provided comprising a clutch member 39 fixed to the shaft being moved out of engagement by an operator controlled lever 42 pivoted at 43 on the frame of the crane and having the usual forked end 44 engageable in an annular groove 45 in the member 40. The lever 42 may be held in a clutch release position by a suitable locking means.

A pair of hoisting drums 46 are mounted on a shaft 41 rotatably mounted in supports 48 carried by the plate I I and having a gear 49 disposed between the drums and a squared end 50 for receiving a hand crank Each drum 46 has a hoisting cable 52 wound thereon and anchored thereto at one end. One of these cables extends over a pulley 53 on the upright 91, thence over a pulley 54 on the arm l6, thence downwardly around a pulley block 55 detachably secured as by a hook connection 56 with one end of the boat and thence upwardly to an anchorage connection 51 on the arm. The other or bow cable extends over a pulley 58 on the upright 9, thence forwardly to a pulley 59 on the outer end of the arm (0, thence downwardly around a pulley block 60 detachably secured by the hook connection 6| with the other end of the boat and thence upwardly to an anchorage connection 62 on the outer end of the arm l6. Thus when the shaft 41 and the drums 46 are rotated either by the crank 5| or by power, the boat B through the cable connections above described will be raised or lowered.

The gear 49 is connected by an endless chain 63 with a gear 64 mounted on the shaft 28 and a clutch conection between said gear 64, and shaft 28 is provided comprising a clutch member 65 fixed to the gear 64 and a releaseable clutch member 66 slidably splined on the shaft 28, these clutch members being shown as of the friction cone type, the clutch member 66 being normally urged into engagement with the member 65 by a spring 4| and being moved out of engagement by an operator controlled lever 6! pivoted at 68 on the frame of the crane and having the usual forked end 69 engageable in an annular groove 45 in the member 46. The lever 6'! may be held in a clutch release position by any suitable looking means. With the clutch engaged, the drums 46 will be driven from the shaft 28 through the gear and chain connection above described to either wind in or pay out the cables 52 depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor 26 and to prevent too rapid descent of the boat B a hand operated brake may be provided for the shaft 41 comprising a brake drum on said shaft, a brake band H engageable with said drum and having one end anchored at 12 to a frame member 48 upon which a hand lever 13 is also pivotally mounted and connected intermediate its ends at T4 to the other end of said band, a spring being provided to hold the band in a release position. The motor 26 receives its current through current supply wires 76 associated with a suitable reversing switch Tl.

It will be noted from the above that I have provided a boat launching crane which is bodily swingable from boat storing to boat launching position and in which both the drive for the swinging mechanism and the hoisting mechanism are carried by the crane and that the hoist cables are separately connected with the ends of the boat from the boom of the crane so that the boat is held substantially parallel to the boom during launching.

It is to be noted that after the boat has been lowered into the water at right'angles to the ship, if the ship is then under way, the pulley block 55 may be released from the stern end of the boat to allow the boat to swing and prevent its being held broadside to the waves, and that if the ship is backing up or going astern, then the block 60 may be similarly released from the bow end of the boat to allow it to move in the direction of the ship.

For holding the crane in alaunching position at right angles to the side of the ship I have shown inFig. 8 a locking pin lsslidably mounted in alined bores i9 and 60 in the plate H and flange 24, said pin having an angled end 8| adapted to be positioned either in the slot 82 in the plate when in a locked position or in a groove 83 at right angles to said slot 82 when in a released position.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a boat launching apparatus, the combination of a crane having a base portion and a turntable mounting connection with the deck of a ship including radially disposed bearing rollers, said crane being provided with an integral cantilever boom adapted to project a boats length beyond the side of the ship, a motor driven shaft mounted on the base portion of said crane, a ring gear fixed to the deck of the ship, a shaft having clutch connection with said motor driven shaft, gearing connections between said last named shaft and said fixed gear for swinging said crane, a drum shaft, a driving connection between said motor driven shaft and said drum shaft including a clutch, a pair of drums mounted on said shaft, and cables mounted on said drums and operatively connecting opposite ends of the boat with said boom.

2. In a boat launching apparatus, the combination of a crane having a base portion and a turntable mounting connection with the deck of a ship including radially disposed bearing rollers, said crane being provided with an integral cantilever boom adapted to project a boats length beyond the side of the ship, a motor driven shaft mounted on the base portion of said crane, a ring gear fixed to the deck of the ship, a shaft having clutch connection with said motor driven shaft, gearing connections between said last named shaft and said fixed gear for swinging said crane, a drum shaft, a driving connection between said motor driven shaft and said drum shaft including a clutch, a pair of drums mounted on said shaft, cables mounted on said drums and operatively connecting opposite ends of the boat with said boom, and manually operable brake means for said drum shaft.

3. In a boat launching apparatus, the combination of a supporting member secured directly to the deck of a ship and having spaced concentric flange portions, a ring gear fixed to the inner of said portions, a laterally extending flange formed on the outer of said portions, a roller race formed on said member intermediate said flange portions, a crane having a base carrying rollers mounted on said roller race and having a depending flange cooperating with said laterally extending flange of said supporting member to hold said base in axially alined position relative to said supporting member, and a rotary gear on said base meshing with said ring gear, means mounted on said base for turning said rotary gear, said crane having a cantilever boom integral with the base and adapted 5 to project 2. beats length beyond the side of a ship, and a boat hoisting mechanism mounted on said crane for suspending a boat from said boom.

CHARLES A. LINSMEIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Sandborn et a1. Mar. 16, 1909 Martinolich Aug. 19, 1913 Graham June 9, 1914 Scardino Feb. 9, 1915 Petersen Jan. 11, 1927 Stebbins July 18, 1944 Kasch Jan. 15, 1946 Chase et a1 Oct. 5, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1912 

